KABUL: The second highest al Qaeda leader in Afghanistan was killed in a weekend airstrike in the country's volatile east near the border with Pakistan, NATO-led forces said on Tuesday.

Saudi Sakhr al-Taifi, also known as Musthaq and Nasim, was responsible for commanding foreign insurgents and directing attacks against coalition and Afghan forces, NATO said in a statement.

He frequently travelled between Afghanistan and Pakistan, carrying out commands from senior al Qaeda leadership, supplying weapons and equipment to insurgents and transporting insurgent fighters into Afghanistan, the statement said.

He was killed on Sunday in the Watahpur district of Kunar province after being identified with another al Qaeda militant. AGENCIES